Luc Besson Returns to Sci-Fi Roots

Director Luc Besson has just announced on Twitter Thursday that he will direct the upcoming feature film, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne. Tweeted Besson:

My first tweet ever! Let’s share a real news! My next film is a big sci-fi: #Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Primarily known for production and/or directing thrillers and action movies, Besson is perhaps best known for directing 1994’s Leon the Professional (also known most popularly as The Professional), starring Jean Reno and Natalie Portman, La Femme Nikita with Anne Parillaud, and The Fifth Element (1997), starring Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman.

This marks Besson’s directorial return to science fiction since Element. Created by Pierre Christen and Jean-Claude Mezieres, the French comic Valerian and Laureline follows the title character (DeHaan) and Laureline (Delevingne) who, as Spatio-Temporal agents, protect the timeline against various fantastic threats.

No release date for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets has been released.